Ordnark
Ordnark (officially The Kingdom of Ordnark) is a federal crowned republic occupying the northernmost land, seas, and islands in the Zyon Dimension. It is bordered by the Southern Bloc to the south, Hell’s Ocean to the west and north, and the Volumn Ocean to the east. The lands originally conquered and ruled by the legendary Fjällerdowen were united under a single leadership, and the resulting aristocracy gave way to the birth of Ordnark's modern borders. Founded originally as a lone aristocracy where a monarch and several lines of nobles held power, it introduced a Parliament and made a peaceful transition to democracy. It is most notable for being the birthplace of Peter Horvát, where he eventually became King, despite protesting against this and refusing the title. This position was immediately thrust upon Emily, who happily accepted the title Princess of Ordnark. Origins For the longest time, the land north of the Dominion of Smortia was considered to be too cold and treacherous for settlement, what with its unforgivably long winters and short growing seasons. Victors of the extensive and sparsely recorded Smortian Civil War moved north to escape the steepening taxes and increasingly vindictive Smortian Diet. Some particularly ambitious settlers were determined to prove that living in the 'forbidden land' was possible while attempting to reach the northernmost land. This feat was finally achieved in 1276 IE, when Wvyllen the Wanderlustful founded a tribe that lived near the northern coast of the continent. At around this time, hundreds of other tribes were set up all over the northern frontier, some vying for control over more land and others wishing to be united under a single crown. The name Ordnark first appeared in records from 851 IE, referring collectively to these tribes, derived from words that roughly translate to 'frigid population.' Fjällerdowen's Empire Nearly three hundred tribes dotted the landscape by the year 108 IE with varying populations and degrees of technology. An ambitious merchant named Fjällerdowen began establishing trading posts routes from his home tribe of the Vyllans to distant tribes at the early age of sixteen. By linking together so many isolated dominions, Fjällerdowen's enterprise quickly generated an accumulated wealth larger than that of the tribal rulers, many of whom became subordinate or declared Fjällerdowen the de facto leader of their tribe. In 90 IE, Fjällerdowen declared himself Emperor of the Northern Realm, claiming all land north of the Eaarijl River and increasingly hostile Kingdom of Madduzh as part of his new empire. His newly formed imperial army impressively dispatched of any dissenters within days, securing Fjällerdowen's powerful position. The deteriorating Kingdom of Madduzh declared war on the Northern Realm in response to its annexation of neighbouring lands and was quickly conquered by the Northern Realm allowing Fjällerdowen to expand his borders. By 74 IE, the Northern Realm was renamed to Fjällerdowen's Empire, as its territory now included land previously not considered to be part of the 'north.' Though the official name was Fjällerdowen's Empire, many citizens informally referred to one another as Ordes, or the Ordish to help distinguish from non-citizens. Ordish remained the de facto demonym for Fjällerdowen's Empire until it was officially adopted in 12 IE and renamed to Ordnark. A handful of states bordering Fjällerdowen's Empire to the south attempted their own invasion, all of which failed thanks to the treacherous cold to which the imperial soldiers had grown accustomed. The Imperial Forces proved to be a nigh unstoppable power, a description that Fjällerdowen himself boasted when he personally set off to battle. The individual strengths of its soldiers and long thread of successful campaigns helped secure Fjällerdowen's Empire as the dominant state in the Zyon Dimension and perpetuated its reputation as a formidable military power. The Imperial Fleet was the first navy to thoroughly penetrate Hell's Ocean, formally believed to be unnavigable. The Islands of Lelan were discovered- inhabited- and the Lelanese were able to repel the first few Ordish invasions. After two wars, Lelan's territory and naval supremacy were ceded to Ordish hands in 48 IE. Its borders steadily extended to the south, acquiring land 2,500 kilometers below Smortia's southern border. At the height of its power, Ordnark's territory included 89% of the entire continent, as well as key islands in the west and north. Fjällerdowen continued his rule until his death in 1 IE, which ushered in a power crisis in the Ordish Empire, leading to its fall. Aristocratic Era The question of who should succeed Fjällerdowen persisted for ten years, in what is known as the Decade of Turbulence. This massive power vacuum led to loss of the most unstable territories- the southernmost ones. Fjällerdowen's death was so impactful, its effects are even present in the Zyon calendar: his death marks the end of the Imperial Era and the beginning of After Fjällerdowen. The two main factions who scrambled for power were the Loyalists- high ranking members of the Imperial Forces and close friends of Fjällerdowen, while often having a diverse background- and the Traditionalists- those who shared Fjällerdowen's ethnicity or claimed to have blood ties (Vyllans) often coming from a strongly religious background. The Traditionalists won the support of the Ordish populace by romantically portraying Fjällerdowen as a legendary demigod, rather than an ordinary person anyone could become- an image that persists in popular culture to this day. The first King of Ordnark was Benjamín the Unlikely, a nephew of Fjällerdowen. The subsequent aristocracy was built around those who belonged to the original Vyllans tribe, with the purest line available becoming the royal lineage. Branch families and those who diverted from the Vyllans became lesser nobles as a result and had less power. The capital was moved to the northern city of Wijlnus, where it remains to this day. Unlike the Ordish Empire, which was essentially an absolute monarchy, the Kingdom of Ordnark began as an oligarchy, where several clans of nobles were given privilege, and the purest of these ruled as the King or Queen- the highest ranking. The state sanctioned religion revolved around the concept of the nobility being descendants of the gods, with Fjällerdowen- the original ruler- upheld as a demigod, an image that persists to the present day. Though it maintained strict security over its borders, Ordnark's military greatly declined in the years following the Imperial Era. It stood by a neutral policy during the Wars of Southern Independence and kept its early economy afloat by selling arms to both belligerents. Category:Countries